According to multiple sources within the U.S. government, the CIA has been tasked with preparing an unprecedented act of cyber warfare against the Russians.

Earlier today, NBC News, a news organization that is usually extremely friendly to the Obama administration, reported that numerous current and former government officials have told them the White House had asked the CIA to deliver options for a wide-ranging “clandestine” cyber operation designed to harass and “embarrass” the Kremlin leadership.

According to NBC, the sources did not elaborate on the exact measures the CIA was considering but said the agency had already begun opening cyber doors, selecting targets and making other preparations for an operation. Former intelligence officers told NBC News that the agency had gathered reams of documents that could expose unsavory tactics by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vice President Joe Biden told “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd on Friday that “we’re sending a message” to Putin and that “it will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact.”